The World Series between the Blue Jays and Dodgers will conclude in dramatic fashion with a winner-take-all Game 7 Friday night.

Los Angeles had their backs against the wall as they traveled to Toronto facing elimination, but pulled off an epic win in Game 6 after a dramatic ninth inning to force the decider. Rogers Centre will play host to the final game of Major League Baseball’s season, giving the Jays home-field advantage as the franchise tries to secure its first title since 1993.

MLB.com’s Sarah Langs dove into postseason history to find how teams in the Blue Jays and Dodgers’ positions have fared based on prior results. According to her research, teams playing any winner-take-all game in their home park are 69–67, including 31–29 in a best-of-seven series. That gives an ever so slight edge to Toronto, but L.A. certainly secured the momentum in the series by taking Game 6 on the road.

In best-of-seven series that follow the current 2-3-2 format, teams that have won Game 6 to force a Game 7 ended up winning the series 35 of 56 times (62.5%), also according to Langs. When the Game 6 winner has forced a Game 7 on the road, that road team has won the series 14 of 22 times (63.6%).

Langs’s always useful findings indicate the Blue Jays get a small bump for playing at their home park, but the Dodgers get a slightly bigger bump for taking Game 6, especially doing so on the road. If this year’s Fall Classic has taught us anything, it’s that Game 7 could go either way. Baseball fans are certainly in for a treat with the last game of the season as Shohei Ohtani and Max Scherzer toe the rubber for their respective sides.

On track to become Australia’s first fast-bowling debutant for four years in wake of Hazlewood injury

Alex Malcolm17-Nov-20252:17

How important is the first Ashes Test for England?

Last Wednesday, Brendan Doggett was shivering in a freezing cold Bellerive dressing room in Hobart with his pads on when Travis Head leaned in and said something that sent his mind racing.Doggett was nervously waiting to bat. South Australia were 40 runs from victory against Tasmania with only three wickets in hand, one of which was Doggett.Head decided that was the perfect moment to inform Doggett that Josh Hazlewood had injured his hamstring in Sydney and that he’d “better get ready for the first Test in Perth”.”He was winding me up a bit,” Doggett told reporters in Perth on Monday. “It’s not really what I needed at the time.”Related

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“When Heady told me, of course your brain’s going a million miles an hour, and you’re sort of thinking what might happen.”It hasn’t been confirmed to Doggett yet, but what is likely to happen on Friday is he will become Australia’s 472nd Test cricketer. He will have that Test number for life, regardless of whether Jake Weatherald also debuts.It will be a significant moment for several reasons, both cricketing and cultural. On the cricket front, he will be the first fast bowler to make his Test debut for Australia since Scott Boland in December 2021.Such has been the durability of Australia’s big three in Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Hazlewood, Boland has been the only replacement needed since December 2022, which was the last time Cummins and Hazlewood missed a Test together in a SENA country. Remarkably, Boland has never played a Test in Perth, with Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood playing all five Tests together at Perth’s Optus Stadium between 2018 and 2024.The last time two of the big three did not play in Australia, it was Michael Neser who played alongside Boland, having debuted one Test before Boland did in the 2021-22 Ashes. But Neser was not initially named in Australia’s squad for Perth and has only been added since both Hazlewood and Sean Abbott were ruled out. He was not even in Perth when Australia trained for the first time on Monday. Doggett is all but certain to play barring injury.Brendan Doggett looks set for a debut in Perth•Getty Images

Despite being careful not to make any assumptions, Doggett is well aware of the large shoes he is likely to have to try and fill on Friday, providing some dry humour when asked what he does differently to them.”I probably don’t take as many wickets as them,” Doggett joked. “They’re tall quicks. They get a lot of bounce. I’m obviously just a little bit skiddier, but try and move the ball off the wicket both ways and try to swing the ball away from a right-hander.”I try and emulate them as much as I can. Hopefully a little bit of a point of difference for me might help. But we’ll wait and see.”This is the doomsday scenario Australia’s hierarchy had hoped to hold off until after the Ashes. The age of their big four has been well documented. Item one on the agenda of the annual planning meetings back in May between the coaching, medical and sports science staff was how to keep those four fit through to the end of the Ashes.Two have fallen over at the start and the unknowns around Australia’s pace bowling depth will be unveiled in Perth. But it may only be a one-off.The sight of Pat Cummins steaming in and bowling a sublime spell in blistering 34 degree heat on the juicy Perth Stadium nets raised eyebrows among all who saw it.He got through eight overs with ease, backing up the eight overs he bowled in Sydney last week, making every Australian batter he bowled to look uncomfortable with hostile pace, nip and bounce. It fulfilled the prophecy of coach Andrew McDonald, who had said weeks ago on record to journalists that they will see Cummins bowl in Perth and wonder why he’s not playing.Brisbane is a distinct possibility for the skipper. Hazlewood will likely need longer to recover from his hamstring strain. But Doggett has earned his chance.Doggett took 5 for 66 in last week’s contest in Hobart•Getty Images

At 31, with 50 first-class games to his name, he’s in the form of his life. In his last 13 matches dating back to October last year he has 63 wickets at 20.12, striking at 38.6, for South Australia, Australia A and Durham. In those 13 matches he has claimed seven five-wicket hauls, four of which have been six-fors, including two bags in his only two Shield games this summer since returning from a minor hamstring injury.”I don’t know how ready you can be for Test cricket, I guess,” Doggett said. “But the last 18 months to two years for me has easily been the most successful I’ve been in terms of numbers, but also just confidence in my body, confidence in my game.”Boland is a nice blueprint for Doggett to follow. Boland had toiled in first-class cricket for a decade before stepping seamlessly into Test cricket.”Obviously you don’t want to be missing two great players like Josh and Pat,” Boland said on Monday. “But I think our bowling stocks have been really strong for quite a while, but no one’s been able to break in with the resilience, with Starcy, Pat, Josh and myself.”It’s going to be exciting time, because a new guy or two will get a look in.”But they’re not inexperienced guys. Like Brendan’s coming in. He’s 31 years old. He’s played a lot of first-class cricket.”I think he brings real skill. He’s a fast outswing bowler, and he’s someone who can bowl really long spells. Bowls a lot of overs when he’s playing for South Australia. He’s someone who’s tremendously fit, and if he gets the nod it’ll be exciting to see him play.”It will be a significant cultural moment too in Australian cricket. In 2018, Boland and Doggett opened the bowling together for an Aboriginal XI that celebrated the 150th anniversary of an Australian indigenous tour to England in 1868.Australia has only had two men with indigenous heritage play Test cricket, in Boland and Jason Gillespie. On Friday, indigenous Australians will have two representatives in the same men’s XI.”It’ll obviously be really special for him and his family and the Australian Indigenous community,” Boland said.”I think this gives a real pathway. They can see that there’s two guys playing, and hopefully they want to take that step into playing cricket.”

Two batters who have had their fair share of squaring up against the Indian fast bowler talk about what it takes to survive the test

Interviews by Nagraj Gollapudi20-Nov-2025A top batter facing Jasprit Bumrah is among the most absorbing contests there is in cricket these days. As Osman Samiuddin wrote on this site a while ago, Bumrah is a one-person species. Everything about his bowling is unique and no amount of high-end tech has helped batters solve the Bumrah riddle so far. In an attempt to dissect the powers of one of the greatest bowlers of the modern era, we asked Kane Williamson and Dean Elgar, two accomplished batters, among the rare breed to average over 40 against Bumrah across all international cricket, to help us understand the challenge.What is the unique challenge Bumrah presents?Kane Williamson: Whenever you face Bumrah it feels like Test cricket. Because he is that good even in white-ball cricket. I recall that semi-final in Mumbai in the 2023 World Cup where he had it swinging late both ways. Gosh, it was about survival for about 40 minutes.He obviously has the ability to move the ball both ways with incredible accuracy, and deception of pace – because he sort of quite gently arrives at the crease and then shoots these balls out with good pace. He is such a level-headed competitor as well, so you know you are always in a real fight. He’s quite composed and he’s going to be disciplined as well. He very rarely misses. And as a batter, that presents a huge challenge.Related

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Elgar: He is extremely intense. You can see he hits the wicket with a different intensity and that’s what separates him at the moment: his intensity of play. So it’s almost like every ball is an event. There’s no soft deliveries that a batter can score off.Has there been a spell in Test cricket that illustrates the challenge?Williamson: The one that certainly comes to mind is the World Test Championship final in 2021, precisely in the first session of the second day [day five; the first and fourth days were washed out and rain affected the second and third days too], where I was engaged in one of the most intense and fierce duels of my career, with Bumrah giving no respite. I scored seven runs in the whole session, including a boundary late in that period. I still find it unbelievable.He probably went at one-and-a-half runs an over or something like that. And that was through asking questions all day and getting some assistance out of the surface. I would’ve loved to have scored quicker, but it didn’t feel like that was an option! I played and missed, played and missed, sort of managed to keep a few out and then it was trusting that we’d get something somewhere at some stage (), and Bumrah and Co. didn’t give us much.You see him with the Dukes in his hand and that is an added challenge because he is going to get so much more assistance with that, versus facing him in New Zealand against the Kookaburra. And so yeah, that session in particular, and that whole game, where it did provide some assistance to fast bowlers. If there’s absolutely anything, whether it’s swing or even some sort of seam movement off the surface, someone like Jasprit’s going to exploit that.Elgar: The Johannesburg Test in 2018, which was his debut series. The pitch at Wanderers was not at all easy for batters. Jass hit me everywhere, including on the helmet after the ball kicked up suddenly from short of a good length and caused some trouble for me.The pitch was very favourable to bowlers – very quick, uneven bounce, a lot of balls were rising off lengths, which was quite unusual. The Test was very close to potentially being called off. Jass, who we had never seen before, managed to get a lot out of that pitch with his unique action and fierce pace. It was among the best spells of fast bowling I had ever faced. And I can tell you, having faced him over two more series – in 2021-22 and 2023-24 – in South Africa, the challenge only became more severe.Kane, in that WTC final, the conditions were clearly seam-bowler friendly, but how did Bumrah attack while also managing to keep you quiet, as he did?Williamson: His mode of attack is no different to any good fast bowler: attacking the top of the stumps and then trying to move the ball and either bringing in the edge or lbw or bowled. As a batter, I’m telling myself: you know you are going to get some good balls. So you are trying to limit the damage with a strong defensive position and then taking any opportunity you can to get off strike or put away a ball where he might have missed. But having said that, you are not really relying on [him missing] because it doesn’t happen all that often, but you still need to be in that frame of mind [to capitalise when the chance comes].That’s what the best [bowlers] in the world are able to do: they are so relentless in how they operate that you are always trying to hold firm with your plan as long as you can.How confident were you defending against Bumrah?Elgar: I have always had this theory about facing quality, really, really high-end seam bowlers or fast bowlers: if you defend them well and if you leave them well, that’s quite a high percentage of the battle done. And then they’ll give you some scoring options because they get frustrated [at] not penetrating your defence, and then you can maybe have a few more options of scoring. But leading up to that, you really need to have your defence on point [and] leave very well against high-quality fast bowlers – despite knowing that they don’t really leave your stumps.That was my theory of playing Jass: defend like your life depends on it, leave well, and obviously, if he bowls in your areas to potentially just get a single, do it. But [he was] accurate, so accurate at high intensity, high pace. So you need to be so locked in, you need to focus on what you need to do irrespective of what the ball does off the surface.He’s also very accurate. I can’t remember him bowling, like, a cut-shot ball. A lot of the times that would be my scoring option. If the ball’s swinging back in, that’s something that I’ll always look to play, [mixed in] with a lot of defence or even leaving it well, but you need to be really on point with that. Yeah, he caused a lot of headaches.Williamson: I certainly worked hard at trusting my defence, but in this game you know that you can get good deliveries where you might be in your best position and it’s still not quite good enough. And Bumrah probably bowls more of those balls than anybody else. So you are still trusting it [defence] but you are also accepting the fact that if you are in your best position and it’s not good enough, then you have to walk off and so be it.Elgar copped a fair few body blows from Bumrah in the latter’s debut series in 2018•BCCIWhat makes Bumrah as good as he is, and what role do his variations play there, along with his discipline and deception?Williamson: Across formats he’s hands down the best bowler in the world. Certainly in the white-ball format, with his slower ball, which is one of the best in the world, and his ability to bowl yorkers, which has proven to be such a difficult thing [to counter]. He’s amazing at that, not to mention, when he gets a new ball in his hand, which we see in Test cricket all the time. So the way he can operate in all facets. He is so versatile and there’s that deception: he’s still bowling 140-plus and he basically jogs to the crease. There’s so many elements to what he does that makes it quite special, unique and world-class.Elgar: Jass is two different bowlers [depending on whether he is] bowling from over or round the wicket. I always felt it was a lot easier when he is bowling over the wicket because all you are looking to do is play the ball that’s swinging back at you, and if the ball is going away from you, you look to leave that or defend it as best as possible. And when he switches to around the wicket, he’s got that natural ability to bring the ball back in to you but also the away-swinging ball for the left-hander, so you feel like you need to play at a lot of balls that you shouldn’t be really playing at.How much do you read cues out of his hand?Elgar: Reading the seam from the bowler’s hand is a traditional way to understand what he is up to, but with Jass the difference is, he has these very, very subtle wrist positions. And also, his arm speed is so quick as well. That’s how he generates his intensity [when he delivers] the ball. So you really have to focus so much harder on his hand, but you can see the seam when it’s coming down.He has such amazing wrists. So you need to really watch the ball quite hard [in addition to him having an] unusual action. You need to really focus hard on or how the seam is coming out: if the seam’s pointing towards the slips, I know the ball’s going to swing away and I have got to really leave it well and defend well and not over-attack. If the seam is pointed towards the stumps, then I know I need to be even more compact and play that ball down the ground.Williamson: It is not easy to read Bumrah’s hand. You watch as closely as you can, but really you are trying to identify the biggest threats [deliveries] so you are playing for the ones that bring in the most modes of dismissal. But it is very, very difficult with the slower ball to read his hand, because his arm speed stays the same and he gets a lot of drop.The way he lets the ball go in front of himself, and his action as well, it kind of means it’s probably a little bit closer to the batter [than with other bowlers], therefore you have probably got a little bit less time, and he can slightly adjust his wrist and get it swinging both ways. It sort of really speeds up the process. So with less time, with the ball that’s moving sideways, that’s a really good recipe and a great asset to have in your artillery [as a bowler].Wristy business: Bumrah can introduce several variations with just subtle adjustments to his wrist position•Getty ImagesThe way he gets shape and swing from letting the ball go in front of himself, it does mean that the ball moves late. In some ways it’s like when you face a [mystery] spinner and you struggle to pick the [variations]. So you are sort of trying to create a game plan that allows for that versus seeing the big inswinger or seeing the big outswinger and being able to adjust because you pick up all those cues. So I do think that’s a massive strength of his that separates what he can do from other bowlers.Bumrah is not among the tallest bowlers, and his point of release is lower than for most others too. Do you face him as a skiddy bowler or a hit-the-deck bowler?Williamson: I always have seen him as more of a skiddy bowler. It has to skid, doesn’t it, when it’s coming from that height, at that pace? But it’s heavy. When someone bowls a heavy ball, they are getting something out of the surface and it’s bouncing on you, which is different to when they are fast through the air but it may not feel heavy. You might play a defensive shot, but if the ball is heavy and it’s bouncing in terms of coming at you off the pitch, then you can get defensive nicks where if a player has any laziness in his position – then those are the margins these top bowlers will expose.Elgar: I played Jass like a hit-the-deck-bowler. But generally a hit-the-deck bowler is not a swing bowler, he is more a nip bowler. Jass is hit-the-deck with swing. With the newer ball, I found he would be a touch fuller, allow the ball to do more in the air, and then when the ball got older, he would pull his length back and really hit the deck harder and try and see if there’s any lateral movement in the wicket.Does Bumrah get into your head in a way many other bowlers do not?Elgar: A lot of times you play the name, which is one of the battles a batter has to fight: don’t play the name, play the ball. So in that sense, you always know that he is a massive risk. He is a wicket-taker. He’s a big threat in the bowling attack. So you almost have to fight that before you go out. When you get through that and you’re able to put the player aside and just focus on what he has to deliver and you play the ball, that’s already quite a big victory. That battle was a constant first hurdle.But I’ll never deny it and say, no, he didn’t get in my head. That would be a lie. But in saying that, I would think that I also got into his head. [When] you can fight the demons that are in your mind, that’s also really another battle that can work in your favour. In that 2023-24 series we both had some good duels, and that is a period where I batted at my most fluent. I was telling myself: everything’s coming to an end [Elgar retired at the end of that series], so it’s almost like the shackles were released and I was actually able to show people that I’m actually quite a fluent player when my mind is totally, totally clear. And that’s probably the one time that I thought I had the upper hand against Jass. But yeah, he’s just a massive challenge. There’s just no release from him, let’s put it that way. There’s no easy way out.

As we approached 2025, the fear was that Liverpool would lose their talisman, an all-time great in the form of Mohamed Salah, on a free transfer.

Well, the Egyptian signed a new deal and closed out an enthralling individual season for the Reds. He led Arne Slot’s team to title glory, taking home the Premier League title back in May.

The foundations Slot had built during his maiden campaign in English football were remarkable but it’s all petered out in frantic fashion throughout the ongoing term.

A year on from uncertainty surrounding Salah’s future, a different sense of uncertainty lingers heading into 2026.

This time around it feels unlikely that he’ll be staying around at Anfield for much longer. It’s a sad end for one of the Premier League’s modern-day greats.

Why Mohamed Salah could leave Liverpool

The winger had an enthralling 2024/25 season, ending the year with a whopping 34 goals and 23 assists in 52 outings. However, this term has not been a pretty one for the Egyptian who has only bagged five times in 19 appearances for Liverpool.

Slot’s side have been in a rotten run and Salah’s poor form has coincided with that. He’s been so poor, however, that the Dutchman has taken the decision to select him on the bench across the last three games. As Salah himself said post-game, it’s unheard of.

However, there lies the problem. What Salah said after the game. He launched a stunning attack on Slot after Liverpool drew 3-3 with Leeds and it has thrown his immediate future in Merseyside into doubt.

“I’m very disappointed, Salah began. “I’ve done so much for this club – everyone can see that – over years, especially last season, sitting on the bench I don’t know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That’s how I feel it.”

The forward continued: “It’s very clear that someone wants me to get all the blame. Club promised me a lot in summer. So far I I’m on bench three games, so can’t say they have kept those promises.

“I say many times I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden we don’t have any relationship, I don’t know why. It seems like someone does not want me in the club.

“But again this club, I always support it. my kids will always support it. I love the club so much and I will always do. I called my mum yesterday because I knew I wasn’t going to start and told my mum and dad to the Brighton game [next Saturday].”

The latest on Mohamed Salah's future at Liverpool

It’s thought that one of Salah’s main suitors continues to be Saudi Arabia and it would not be a surprise if he heads off to the Middle East before too long.

That’s because he’s now been totally excluded from the matchday squad for Liverpool’s clash with Inter Milan in the week.

According to Football FanCast sources, Richard Hughes and Co met after Salah made those comments and while it initially looked like he could just miss the clash with Inter, he has officially been removed from selection for a ‘short period’.

Sources suggest that the decision has been taken in consultation with manager Slot in the best interests of the player, the squad and the club. It’s thought that the boss has given the decision his full support.

Whether that means that Salah will miss Liverpool’s next league game against Brighton next Saturday remains to be seen but considering the attacker is due to head off to AFCON after that, it’s likely this is the last we’ll see of him in a Liverpool shirt, at least this year.

What the future holds in the long term is currently unknown but it’s certainly not looking good for either player or manager right now.

Gallery: How Salah interacted with Liverpool teammates in training on Monday

Mo Salah is unhappy with life at Liverpool right now.

ByFFC Staff 4 days ago

England's World Cup 2026 kick-off times and venues have been finally confirmed as Thomas Tuchel's Three Lions are set to face Croatia, Panama and Ghana in the group stage next summer. England learned their opponents during the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington, DC, on Friday evening. The European Championship runners-up side will play their three group games in three different cities.

England learn World Cup match venues and kick-off times

A day after England learned that they are clubbed in Group L alongside Croatia, Panama and Ghana, the Three Lions have been informed about their match venues and kick-off times. Thomas Tuchel's side will endure a complicated commute as they are set to play their first match against Croatia at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Dallas on June 17.

Their next match will be six days later against Ghana at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough and their final match will be held at New York's MetLife Stadium on June 27 against Panama. 

The fans, who will watch the matches from back home in the UK, will have to tune in at 9 pm for the first two matches, while the final Panama clash will kick off at 10 pm. 

AdvertisementGettyTuchel shares opinion on England's draw

Speaking about his team's 2026 World Cup draw, Tuchel claimed that it was a tricky one as he told reporters: "We have Croatia and Ghana, two regulars in World Cups, and we have Panama. I don’t know much about Panama, but we will know everything about them when the tournament starts. For me personally, even in the Champions League, you have to focus on the group – the group is always the most difficult, and we want to escape, and we want to win the group. It’s a tough one.

"No one should be underestimated. Of course, Croatia is the standout name [and] the highest-ranked team from Pot 2 that we got into our group. It’s a difficult opener against Croatia. We take it from here." 

The German coach added: "Ghana is always full of talent and can always surprise, and has a big history in World Cup football," he said. "Also, Panama will try to make the most of the underdog role. No one can be underestimated – everyone deserves the fullest respect, and we will show that."

Tuchel's dig at World Cup draw

The Three Lions boss did not appreciate the long draw ceremony which dragged on for a long time. Before the actual draw, the United States President Donald Trump received the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino designating it for a person who has "taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace" and "united people across the world". Trump was given a large gold trophy, a medal, and a certificate, while Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand was also heavily involved in the draw. 

Going by the England boss' comments, he didn't appear to be a fan of the whole affair. He told : "I do not, not like it but we could have done it like, without all of this. I don't need it. But of course, it's a huge stage and it's big entertainment. I was very well aware that it's not about the deep insight of football today."

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Getty Images SportWhich team did Tuchel prefer as possible group opponent?

Further sharing his thoughts on the draw and the opponents England will face, Tuchel added: "I had no preference because why would I worry? I cannot influence. The legends took the draw and this is what we get and what we have to deal with now. We know now our opponents, we know we will start late in the tournament if players are involved in European finals, hopefully. We didn't desire anything we just handled the situation as it is. You get a little more days before and then you get a condensed schedule later in the tournament. Everything comes with in upside and downside."

Justin Greaves called it a “special, special day” for him and the team as he and Kemar Roach helped West Indies pull off an epic draw against New Zealand in the first Test at the Hagley Oval.After New Zealand set a never-chased-before target of 531, Greaves and Roach added 180 in 68.1 overs in an unbroken stand for the seventh wicket. Greaves scored 202 not out off 388 balls and Roach 58 not out off 233 as West Indies batted out 163.3 overs. Their 457 for 6 was the second-highest fourth-innings total in Test cricket, behind only England’s 654 for 5 in the timeless Test against South Africa in Durban in 1939.”[It was] just pretty much being resilient – the word we’ve thrown around in the dressing room a lot,” said Greaves, who also battled cramps towards the end of his innings. “So for me, to be there at the end was really important. So anything for the team at the end of the day.Related

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“I had a really long chat with coach Floyd Reifer. And he was saying, once you get in, stay in; it’s a good pitch. Rachin [Ravindra] and [Tom] Latham showed us in the second innings. So it was just for us to go out there and play ourselves.”It was not only Greaves’ highest Test score but also his best in first-class cricket. He became only the seventh batter to make a double-hundred in the fourth innings of a Test. Roach, who went 72 balls without scoring a run at one point, also registered his first-class best.”Special, special day for me; special day for the team,” Greaves said. “We were pretty much up against it. So, to come out here, batting the whole day after losing Shai [Hope]… We thought we would have probably pushed for a win. But then Kemar, the senior pro, guided me all the way. So pretty much happy for him being there at the end as well.”To be a part of history is ecstatic. But for me, one day at a time, continue to enjoy it. Probably it hasn’t sunk in just yet. Hopefully, over the next couple of days, it can.”West Indies were 72 for 4 at one point, before Shai Hope, who scored 140, and Greaves revived the innings. Hope and Tevin Imlach’s wickets in quick succession left them on 277 for 6, but when they entered the final session, needing 132 from a minimum of 33 overs, a win was not out of the realm of possibility. Eventually, they did not go for it.1:01

Chase: Roach is a modern-day legend

“For us, it was just about getting to the last session,” Greaves said. “We always spoke about 100 runs in the last session, probably with a few more wickets in hand. Obviously, losing Shai and then losing Imlach shortly after was a big thing. But I think we did really well in the end to come up with a draw.”West Indies captain Roston Chase later revealed that they took the final call when the last hour commenced, when West Indies needed 96 from 15 overs.”Going back at tea, the guys wanted to see if they could push for the runs,” Chase said. “But it didn’t quite work out the way they wanted. When the last hour came, when they came off for the water break, we had a discussion. They said they would just play out. And we didn’t think that was a bad idea at that time. So we were happy for them to just straight up play out and that’s what they did.”While West Indies put in an admirable effort, they were helped by the fact that New Zealand had lost Matt Henry and Nathan Smith to injuries. Henry bowled just 11 overs in the second innings and Smith none at all.”It was a Test match that sort of had it all, really,” New Zealand captain Tom Latham said. “I think the way we were able to put ourselves in a position to win a Test match was what we were after and for it to head down to the final hour with kind of all three [four] results on the cards.”When you have two of your seamers go down during a Test match, it’s never ideal. I think the way the work that especially Zak [Foulkes] and Jacob [Duffy] put in throughout that innings, the amount of overs that they bowled, the way they kept coming, certainly never complained and just got on with it and threw everything that they could at West Indies. And also Michael Bracewell bowling 50-odd [55] overs.”We managed to create some opportunities, which is obviously what you want to do, but we couldn’t take them, unfortunately. Sometimes you have to give a little bit of credit where credit’s due, and the way that West Indies played in this fourth innings was pretty outstanding.”New Zealand dropped Roach twice off Bracewell. Still, Bracewell should have dismissed twice more – first lbw and then caught behind. On both occasions, the on-field umpire ruled it not out. Had New Zealand not burnt their reviews, they could have got those decisions overturned.”I guess [it was] one of those things that you have to deal with,” Latham said. “You look at many times before you’ve finished a game, and you’ve had lots of reviews left. You see your way out, what you think the best option is, and I guess at the time that’s what we thought was the best option.”

Jahanara Alam, who has not played international cricket since December 2024, claimed that the Bangladesh women’s captain “beats up” her team-mates

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Nov-2025The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has said it “strongly refutes” allegations of physical abuse made by fast bowler Jahanara Alam against the current national women’s team captain Nigar Sultana.Alam, who has not played international cricket since December 2024, claimed that Sultana “beat up” her team-mates in an interview with Bangladesh newspaper .”The BCB categorically and strongly refutes these allegations, which are baseless, fabricated and devoid of any truth,” the board said in a statement. “The Board finds it unfortunate that such derogatory and scandalous claims have been made at a time when the Bangladesh Women’s Team is showing commendable progress and unity on the international stage.”The Board believes that the timing and nature of these comments are deliberate, ill-intentioned and seemingly aimed at undermining the spirit and confidence of a team that continues to represent the country with pride. It is deeply disappointing that an individual who currently has no involvement or relevance in the plans of Bangladesh cricket has chosen to make such misleading statements in public.””The BCB wishes to make it clear that it has complete trust and confidence in the Women’s National Team’s leadership, players and management. The Board has found no evidence to support any of the claims made and stands firmly behind the team and its personnel.”Bangladesh had finished seventh out of eight teams in the recent Women’s World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. Their only victory came against Pakistan but they ran England, South Africa and Sri Lanka close.

The review is expected to be completed by March 31, 2026

Nagraj Gollapudi and Shashank Kishore05-Nov-2025Diageo, the multinational alcoholic beverage company and owner of Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL and WPL, has taken the first steps towards divesting its stake in the franchise.In a filing with India’s market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), on Wednesday, Diageo said it was conducting a “strategic review” of its investment in RCB through Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL) – the parent company that owns the men’s and women’s teams.The review is expected to be completed by March 31, 2026, the end of India’s financial year. (RCSPL is a fully owned subsidiary of United Spirits Ltd. (USL) which in turn is owned by Diageo).”RCSPL has been a valuable and strategic asset for USL; however, it is non-core to our alcobev (alcohol and beverages) business,” said Praveen Someshwar, Managing Director & CEO of United Spirits, in the SEBI filing.”This step reinforces USL and Diageo’s commitment to reviewing our India portfolio to ensure sustained long-term value for stakeholders, while keeping RCSPL’s best interests in mind.”The move comes amid Diageo’s struggles in its core global business, which has been under significant pressure in recent years. In a SEBI filing in June this year, the company had denied reports of RCB’s sale, with USL’s company secretary Mital Sanghvi calling them “speculative”.However, with Diageo now facing headwinds globally, that stance appears to have shifted.Speculation about a potential divestment had intensified after the fatal stampede outside Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in June, a day after RCB won their maiden IPL title.Among the most popular IPL teams, RCB was the second most expensive franchise when the tournament was launched in 2008. Vijay Mallya, then chairman of USL bought the franchise for USD 111.6 million in 2007, before he stepped down as director in 2016, with Diageo becoming the sole owner of the company.ESPNcricinfo has reached out to Rajesh Menon, vice-president and head of RCB, for comment.The development, though, will not have any impact on RCB’s planning for the upcoming IPL and WPL seasons, including the auctions. Any new owner will also need to get clearance from the IPL and the process is likely to stretch beyond the 2026 IPL season.WPL 2026 is scheduled to start in January, while the IPL, which RCB will start as defending champions, is expected to start in March and run through May.

Charlie Dean admits England “got away with one” following a batting collapse against Pakistan

Valkerie Baynes15-Oct-2025″We got away with one today,” was Charlie Dean’s summation of England’s great escape from Pakistan in a washed-out World Cup match in Colombo.England have used get-out-of-jail cards against both the teams which had to go through qualifying just to be here. At least against Bangladesh it was largely their own doing after Heather Knight survived three overturned dismissals to haul them out of danger with her 79 not out.This time, it was down to the brewing monsoon season in Sri Lanka and, with matches against India, Australia and New Zealand looming, England should now have a clear indication of the work ahead of them if they are to move forward with a campaign where their unbeaten record so far flatters them somewhat.Related

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England’s latest batting performance was even worse than the 182 for 6 they managed against Bangladesh, who had them 78 for 5 inside 23 overs. Against some brilliant seam bowling by Fatima Sana, who peppered them with in-duckers on her way to figures of 4 for 27 from six overs, England slumped to 78 for 7 in the 24th.”It wasn’t the start that we wanted with the bat and we didn’t quite adapt quick enough to the wicket, to the way the ball seamed around,” Dean added. “Then I guess we just got a bit bogged down with the spin. It’s hard to really be proactive and take on those options when one, they bowled really well, and I guess when you’ve lost quite a few wickets.”I’m not a top-order batter, so I don’t want to speak for those players and I know that they’ll all be disappointed with how today went and looking to rectify that as quickly as possible. We have some world-class players in our XI, in our 15, so we know that that’s not how the game’s going to go every time but hopefully we can scratch this one off and go ahead on Sunday with a positive mindset.”That they managed to reach 133 for 9 was down largely to Dean who had a job to do – not for the first time – at No. 8, adding 47 runs off 41 balls with No. 9 Em Arlott, called into England’s starting XI for the first time when fellow seamer Lauren Bell fell ill along with spinner Sophie Ecclestone.At this World Cup, Dean has scored 27 not out, having stuck with Knight in for an unbroken 79-run stand against Bangladesh, 19 against Sri Lanka which was the best of England’s batters from No.5-11, and now 33 while the more recognised batters have struggled, Knight’s innings and Nat Sciver-Brunt’s century against Sri Lanka aside.Amy Jones broke the back of England’s pursuit of a paltry 70 against South Africa with 40 not out but hasn’t passed 11 since, fellow opener Tammy Beaumont has reached double figures three times in four innings without passing 32 and the middle order of Sophia Dunkley, Emma Lamb and Alice Capsey has failed to fire.Charlie Dean top-scored for England with 33•AFP/Getty ImagesStill, England are top of the table, level on points but with a superior net run rate to Australia, who threaten to pose an even sterner contest.England won their warm-up game against Australia, which was somewhat of a surprise given that they left the Ashes in January without registering a single victory from seven matches across formats. That result sparked a change of head coach and captain with Charlotte Edwards replacing Jon Lewis and Sciver-Brunt taking over from Knight.But the squad make-up hasn’t changed markedly and their ability to adapt to conditions and cope under pressure, which was found so wanting in Australia and at the T20 World Cup before that, is now under scrutiny once more.Next up on Sunday will be India, who are looking to secure a place in the top four after back-to-back defeats at the hands of Australia and South Africa.”We can definitely be better,” said Dean, who was appointed as Sciver-Brunt’s vice-captain ahead of this event. “We really want to take it game by game and look to put some of the best teams under pressure with India, Australia, and New Zealand coming up. We’re excited for hopefully some better batting wickets or higher-scoring games and to really test ourselves against the best oppositions.”

Since Pep Guardiola was appointed Manchester City manager in 2016, the club have spent around £1.276bn on more than 50 new recruits.

Some have, of course, been a massive success, none more so than Erling Braut Håland, arriving from Borussia Dortmund for £51m in the summer of 2022, so far scoring 143 goals in 164 appearances for the Sky Blues, which isn’t bad.

However, others have not lived up to the expectations set upon their arrival, disappearing into the proverbial wilderness without a trace.

So, is one of Man City’s summer signings, not so long ago labelled one of the best players in the Premier League, in danger of becoming the latest man to follow this path?

Kalvin Phillips' Manchester City career

When Kalvin Phillips joined Manchester City from Leeds United for £42m in the summer of 2022, he was a first-choice starter for England and widely considered to be one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League.

However, to date, he has made just 32 appearances for the Sky Blues, totalling a miserly 921, accumulating only six starts, while 12 of his outings have lasted ten minutes or fewer.

After unsuccessful loan spells at both West Ham and then Ipswich, Phillips is back at Manchester City now, featuring in the Carabao Cup in September, entrusted with a seven-minute cameo towards the end of the victory over Huddersfield Town.

This was his first appearance for the Citizens for 645 days, his last before that coming against Urawa Red Diamonds in Jeddah in the Club World Cup semi-finals of 2023.

Having not represented England for over two years, fair to say this move has wrecked Phillips’ career, going from international star to complete obscurity, yet to even appear on a Man City bench in the Premier League or Champions League this season – including in Saturday’s 3-2 win over his former club.

So, which of Guardiola’s summer recruits is in danger of repeating this trajectory?

Manchester City's next Kalvin Phillips

For the majority of Guardiola’s tenure at the Etihad, the left-back spot has been up for grabs.

First, Fabian Delph and Oleksandr Zinchenko were deployed as midfielders in that role while, more recently, a rotating cast of centre-backs have filled the position, including Joško Gvardiol and Nathan Aké.

So, when Rayan Aït-Nouri arrived from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a reported fee of £31.8m in June, supporters were delighted as the left-back conundrum appeared to have been solved.

The Algerian international joined Wolves from Angers in 2020, making 157 appearances for the club, and becoming one of their most outstanding players.

In the Premier League last season, the 24-year-old registered seven assists, a tally only bettered by 16 players and just one defender, namely Antonee Robinson.

As a result, Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley described him as “one of the Premier League’s best players” last season, while Manchester City director of football Hugo Viana praised his “quality” upon his arrival.

Having switched allegiance from France, Aït-Nouri will be looking forward to representing Algeria at both next month’s Africa Cup of Nations, the Desert Foxes among the favourites to triumph in Morocco, as well as the World Cup in the summer, but he may not be going into those competitions all guns blazing.

Despite earning rave reviews for his performances in old gold, the full-back has made very little impact in sky blue thus far, as the table below documents.

Minutes

315

22nd

Appearances

7

21st

Starts

5

20th

Completed passes

153

20th

Tackles

10

10th

Ball recoveries

10

20th

Touches

222

19th

As the table documents, Aït-Nouri is yet to make his mark since joining Manchester City.

Since starting two of three Premier League matches in August, he has seen just one minute of action in the competition, partially as a result of an ankle injury.

He was handed his full Champions League debut against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday, but was hooked at half-time as Guardiola made a triple substitution, with his team a goal down, ultimately beaten 2-0 by the Bundesliga side.

Aït-Nouri’s performance in that one did not earn rave reviews.

Richard Martin of Goal noted that he lacked ‘awareness defensively or creativity going forward’, awarding him a 4/10, while Simon Bajkowski of the Manchester Evening News believes he was at fault for die Werkself’s opening goal, criticising his ‘heavy touches and poor passes’.

The Algerian was replaced by Nico O’Reilly at the interval, and the form of the 20-year-old is also a problem for him.

The youngster has been outstanding this season, thereby starting both England World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania earlier this month, and will not be an easy man to displace at left-back, for club or country.

Thus, unlikely to be given regular starting opportunities any time soon, Aït-Nouri is in danger of slipping into the Phillips vortex of being forgotten and cast aside by Guardiola.

Man City in talks to beat Man Utd to gem who's been "magic at U17 World Cup"

The Citizens are now looking to strike a deal before clubs from England and on the continent.

BySean Markus Clifford Nov 23, 2025